


Of Bad Weather and Good Coffee

by flowerfred



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Jaeyoon and Inseong being the extra balls of sass and fluff they are, M/M, barista!inseong, college student!Jaeyoon, don't tell anyone, i am youngbin, i love comments too pls leave some for me, idk what i'm doing tbh but i love sf9!!, it's a cliché but, it's my favorite cliché, kind of crack? Aka I tried to be funny, there's like a twinge of angst implied so not really but there's potential?, yes - Freeform, youngbin is me, youngkyun and taeyang are like a thing and they're cute but pshht
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2018-12-11 20:45:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11722218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfred/pseuds/flowerfred
Summary: With a sigh of relief, Jaeyoon entered the café and politely greeted the barista.Or at least that's what he would have done if he hadn't slipped on the wet doormat and fallen straight on his face.Or: Jaeyoon is adorable and sassy (and kind of stupid) and so is Inseong.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a nice day.

True, a few clouds here and there but certainly no sign of an apocalyptic storm like the one Jaeyoon was running through right now, looking for a place to go to protect himself from nature's forces.

"Oh no, I don't need an umbrella, it's not gonna rain today, look at the sun shining!"  
He bitterly thought back to his naïve, young self from that day's morning while getting drenched to the bone.

Why would one even go to college without an umbrella in September? It was bound to rain!  
While cursing to himself, he didn't pay attention to where he was walking and nearly ran into a street lamp.  
Trying to avoid colliding with the metal, he almost tripped over his own feet and just managed to catch himself by hugging the pole.

Jaeyoon sighed deeply and after catching his breath, he continued running through the deserted streets of Seoul on his quest for some place to wait for the thunderstorm to be over.

He willingly ignored the fact that for the past few days it had been overly sunny and nice outside for the sake of bathing a bit more in his misery and his bad life choices.

Finally, a café came in sight. It looked like the typical wannabe romantic, kind of "vintage-chic" café you would find in any part of the city but Jaeyoon couldn't care less because while it might have been a cheesy, run down coffee shop, its inside was also warm and cozy, unlike him.

With a sigh of relief, he entered the café and politely greeted the barista.

Or at least that's what he would have done if he hadn't slipped on the wet doormat and fallen straight on his face.

For a few seconds there was complete silence until loud laughter met his ears.

When he looked up from his spot on the floor, he could see the young man behind the counter, wearing a burgundy apron, shaking with laughter.  
He seemed to be a little older than himself and had brown hair and sharp features.

When, after a few seconds, he didn't seem like he was going to stop and help Jaeyoon in the near future, the latter stood up by himself, trying to brush off the dirt from his clothes, which didn't work since he was dripping with water and everything was clinging onto him like he had bathed in glue and not just been running in the rain for 10 minutes.

"Is it normal for the employees here to laugh at customers instead of helping them?", Jaeyoon asked, only a little pissed at the other boy's behaviour, he was mainly embarrassed for himself and also kind of intrigued by the way the other's eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief and kindness at the same time.  
The reply followed without a second passing.  
"Nope, just me, sorry to disappoint you", the man, whose name tag said "Inseong" grinned widely at Jaeyoon, who couldn't help but smile back at the amount of pure sass in the other's voice.  
Overall though, his voice was a little mellow and raspy and for a split second Jaeyoon thought that he wouldn't mind hearing that voice speak for longer.

"So, uhm, Mr Doormat, what can I get you on this lovely day or did you just come to clean up our floor with your clothes?"  
Suddenly, Jaeyoon felt reminded of a sly fox with the way Inseong looked at him expectantly, a smile playing around his lips.

"To be honest, I have no idea", now it was Jaeyoon's turn to smile,  
"Inseong-ssi"  
For a second, the latter actually seemed startled until Jaeyoon pointed to his chest and he seemed to remember the fact that he was, indeed, wearing a name tag.  
"What would you recommend?"

The barista pretended to think seriously about his question before he tilted his head to the right and slowly said, like he was letting him in on a secret,  
"How about my company, I'm pretty cool"  
At Jaeyoon's judging stare he added, giggling,  
"Also, you should get a chocolate latte with vanilla coconut flakes, it's delicious and my specialty"  
At that he winked with his entire face, so it didn't look like he was being secretive and playful but more like he was going through severe pain.

By now, the college student was convinced that Inseong was probably one of the most adorable human beings he had ever encountered.  
Apart from being sassy and always quick to reply, he had a pretty face with sharp eyes that made Jaeyoon think of a fox every time he looked at him.

"I'll take both of that then.", he replied, smiling at the other who seemed to brighten up even more at that answer.  
Inseong turned around, starting to prepare Jaeyoon's drink when suddenly he whipped around, scaring the former to death even though he would never admit that.

"How old are you, Mr Doormat?" he asked, blinking innocently.  
"I'm 23, how about you?" the chestnut haired boy replied, surprised at the sudden question.  
He guessed it was justified though, since the two were already spending time together they might as well just talk to each other a bit.  
Apart from that, there were a lot of things worse than finding out a bit more about the barista with the pretty eyes, Jaeyoon thought.

"Ha! I'm your hyung! I was born in 1993, so I'm an entire year older than you!", Inseong exclaimed happily, punching a fist into the air at which Jaeyoon involuntarily chuckled, "Based on that kind of behaviour, I'd say you're about 20 years younger than that", he murmured, though not quiet enough for the older boy not to hear.

"Rude"

When Inseong turned around again after that, Jaeyoon couldn't help but smile happily at their banter when all of a sudden whipped cream was thrown at him.  
"W-What?", surprised, he stared at the older boy who only answered "That's your punishment for being a brat, brat"  
There was no bite to his voice and his amusement at the younger man trying to wipe the cream out of his face was evident before he turned around once again to work on the drink.  
"So, what's your name, brat?", he asked without facing the questioned boy.

"Jaeyoon, Lee Jaeyoon", he replied "also, I can't believe you actually just threw whipped crea-" but Inseong cut him off: "Aw, I'm sorry for calling you a brat by the way, I like Jaeyoonie a lot more, to be honest, it's cute!"

Jaeyoon faked an exasperated groan even though he had to admit he liked the sound of the young man saying his nickname even if it was a nickname he did not approve of.

"Please don't call me Jaeyoonie ever again, it's giving me a headache", he deadpanned.  
"Have you already forgot I'm your hyung?" , Inseong bit back but there was no venom to his voice and he was grinning happily while saying it, "Here's your latte by the way! Enjoy!"

 

It had been an uneventful day for Inseong.

At least it was until hell broke loose outside the café and eventually, Jaeyoon had come in and greeted his door mat face to face.

Inseong was glad that day was one of the days where Youngbin, his boss, left the café alone with him so no one scolded him for laughing at the poor boy on the floor.  
Or for throwing whipped cream at said poor boy.

Ever since the younger man had entered the café, Inseong couldn't help but smile at how endearing he was.  
He seemed to have his fair share of sassiness himself which was something he always appreciated in people and also the cutest dimples the brunette had ever seen.

The way Jaeyoon's lips spread to a wide smile after tasting the latte did things to Inseong's heart he didn't quite understand but he blamed it on the huge Americano he had had a few minutes prior to Jaeyoon coming to the café.  
The caffeine was just starting to do its thing with Inseong's body, that was all.

"It's delicious, hyung!"  
The younger moaned obscenely before taking another big gulp of his drink, licking his lips afterwards.  
Inseong had to inwardly force himself not to let his mind wander to weird places and let his gaze wander around the room.

Just then did he notice that Jaeyoon had been standing during the entirety of their conversation, so he came out from behind the counter and pulled the boy towards one of the tables.  
"Do you own the café?" the latter asked, sounding genuinely interested.  
He was just about to reply with a neutral "HELL NO" when Nalina by Block B started playing out of nowhere, surprising both of them.

Inseong pulled out his phone from his pocket but as he saw who was calling, he quickly declined the call and stuffed his phone back in there.  
He really didn't have the nerve to discuss about him not being able to pay his rent with the sketchy dude that managed his apartment complex.

When he looked up again, he was met by a judging stare.  
"What?", he asked, "Do you not like Block B?"

"Nah", came the reply and a smile spread on the younger's face, "I love AOA tho, like...they're queens!"

Inseong couldn't believe this.  
How dare he disrespected Block B, the group that had the amazing Zico as leader.  
Zico was one of the kings of Hip Hop! And Inseong himself was pure Hip Hop, he was convinced of that.

Judging by the way the younger was looking at him, he had just said all of that out loud.  
He could feel a blush creeping up on his cheeks but decided that he would fight for what he believed in as dramatic as that might have sounded.  
Just as he was about to start his passionate monologue about HipHop in general and BlockB in particular, he was interrupted by Jaeyoon's cheerful voice.

"I know all of AOA's dances as well! They're so much fun!"

Inseong had to resist the strong urge to squish his cheeks.

Was that weird considering he had met the kid about half an hour ago?  
Probably.

Did he care?  
Kind of.  
He didn't want to seem like a weirdo after all.

Did he still want to squish his cheeks? Most definitely, yes.

"Do you actually?", at the younger boy's nod, he pulled out his phone again, pressing play on AOA's "Heart Attack".  
"Show me!"

Instead of being embarrassed the way Inseong would have expected, Jaeyoon stood up confidently and started moving to the beat.  
After a few seconds of watching him, the older couldn't hold his laughter in anymore.

The choreo was all right, as far as he could judge, but the chestnut haired boy was dancing so frivolously that it resembled the reaction to an electric shock more than an actual dance.

Jaeyoon was laughing along and told Inseong to join him with sparkling eyes and soon the two were jumping around the café to different AOA songs, laughing and grinning like idiots, sometimes singing along as well, very happy being alone together in their own little world.

In the middle of "Like A Cat", they eventually kneeled down on the ground, panting.  
Dancing for 30 minutes straight sure did take something out of you.  
The moment they looked at each other though, they started laughing again, gasping for air.

"See?" Jaeyoon asked between two pants, "I can dance to all of their songs.  
Just not", he stuck out his tongue in between two pants, trying to somehow inhale more oxygen, "in one go."  
"Yeah," Inseong broke into a new fit of giggles, "you're an amazing dancer, that's for sure."  
The former laughed along lightheartedly, the clear sound sending warm shivers down Inseong's spine.

They sat there for hours, Inseong had closed up the café early due to the weather and the completely deserted streets and now the two boys had been sitting on the ground talking about everything and anything that had come to their minds.

Inseong learned that Jaeyoon was afraid of heights and his girlfriend whenever she was angry (and no, the fact that he had a girlfriend did not make his heart shatter into pieces, that would have been silly), while Jaeyoon got to know that Inseong had studied in London for a year when he was younger and loved the color pink.

At some point, the sky had cleared up and now there was only a slight shimmer of pink left after the sun had set.  
After looking at his phone, Jaeyoon gasped in surprise, "It's almost 8PM! I got to go, hyung, I'll see you tomorrow though, right?"

Even though that was correct, Inseong still had one last question for the younger boy that just could not wait until the next day (or so Inseong told himself and the younger boy that seemed sceptical but accepted it without a fuss).

"What is your favorite food?", he asked cautiously.  
"Korean beef!", came the answer instantly and without a second's thought.  
"What about you?"

"Well, Jaeyoonie",  
Inseong said, nodding and trying his hardest to look as intellectual as possible while wearing an apron, having messy hair and sitting on the dirty café floor.  
"I am a fan of the finest European cuisine and an expert concerning that department, if I do say so myself." 

Jaeyoon couldn't help but grin fondly at the man next to him.  
"Yeah, right", he murmured, laughing as his newly made friend playfully hit him.

An awkward wave later and Inseong was all alone again in the café and if it hadn't been for the weird fluttery feeling in his chest, it would have almost been, like nothing had ever happened.


	2. Chapter 2

After their first encounter several weeks had passed and Jaeyoon was now one of the café's regulars, which Inseong claimed was all because of his irresistible charm and while Jaeyoon would never admit that, it was surprisingly true.

During those weeks the younger boy had not only taken a liking to talking to Inseong whenever the other wasn't busy with customers and making him laugh while he was trying to take someone's order but he had also got to know the rest of the staff.

Firstly, there was Youngbin, a rather shy and sweet young man, who was the owner of the café and therefore Inseong's boss, even though the latter would always glare at anyone mentioning it.

Apart from him and Inseong there was also a sickeningly cute couple working behind the counter.  
One of them was Taeyang, a boy whose smile shone so bright that Jaeyoon was sometimes scared of actually going blind.  
The other one was his boyfriend, Youngkyun, who seemed to be quite calm but according to Inseong was just as weird as he was handsome.

Jaeyoon coming to the café had become Inseong's favorite part of his day, most of the time it even managed to take his mind off of his increasingly difficult finances, so he was more than startled when one day said boy came in, holding hands with a girl Inseong had never seen before.

It was only then that he remembered that Jaeyoon had told him about his girlfriend the first time they had met.  
He had pushed it to the back of his mind and now the fact that the boy he had been developing a crush on was not single and probably straight hit him with full force.

It wasn't like it mattered anyway, Jaeyoon was not someone in Inseong's league to begin with.  
Apart from that, the girl was really pretty and probably lovely, so Inseong decided to just be the good friend he was and greeted them with a smile, "What can I get you guys toda-"  
"This furniture is absolutely hideous!"

Suprised, he stared at the girl standing in front of him and he could start noticing himself getting more and more flustered by the second.  
"Uhm well so...the thing is.. I  
I don't own the café?", was everything he managed to bring out, searching for Jaeyoon's eyes, silently asking for help.  
Had he done something wrong?

The petite girl let her gaze wander around the café until she was looking at Inseong again, wrinkling her nose,  
"Also, the AC is way too hot!"  
"Haryeong", Jaeyoon finally interfered with a forced smile, "it's winter! Of course they'd want the café to be warm!  
Anyway, so uhm, we'll take two chocolate lattes with vanilla coconut flakes on top, please", he smiled at Inseong and the latter couldn't help but return the smile almost forgetting about the girl and the ugly furniture.

The couple was just passing by the counter to get to a table when the brunette heard the girl say "I can't believe they're going to let us melt in here! And that barista? What is up with him? People these days really employ just about anyone", she shook her head pitifully.

This was it.  
Being nice to customers, yes, Inseong was all up for that but at some point he was bound to snap.

"Excuse me? The lady in the green dress", he pointed at her, "yes, you.  
I wrote down you ordered a chocolate latte but are you sure you don't want an Americano? I think that would fit better, since you seem to be really, really bitter"

He smiled as sweetly as possible as he watched her face turn the same color as her bright red shoes.  
Before she could utter out a word though, Jaeyoon had pulled her aside sitting her down at the table.

It might have just been Inseong's mind playing tricks on him but he was convinced he heard Jaeyoon giggle and murmur a "Don't you think you kind of deserved that?" in her direction.

She didn't seem to find it as funny, though, because when Inseong brought their drinks she just glared at him, took a tiny sip, stated it sucked and put her cup on the table again.  
"Apart from that, could you please change the music you have playing in here? It's honestly horrible, right?", expectantly she looked over at her boyfriend.

Jaeyoon was angry.  
Jaeyoon was really angry.  
Haryeong had been unnecessarily rude ever since they had entered and every time she complained about something Inseong did - like dancing to the songs playing while preparing their drinks - his heart clenched in his chest and he felt a new wave of fury wash over him.

Now the music seemed to be the issue.  
After listening for a few seconds, he realised it was an AOA song, which meant Inseong was playing this for him.  
He knew Inseong usually refused to play songs by AOA in the café and only did so when he felt like Jaeyoon had had an especially rough day at college and needed some cheering up.

He was fed up with his girlfriend bringing down the boy who he already felt like knew him better than some of his lifelong friends and who seemed to know how uncomfortable he was right now completely unlike the girl who was supposedly his "significant other".  
There had to be a way for him to get her out of there.

"I'm so sorry! I forgot I left my stove turned on this morning", he exclaimed suddenly, surprising both Haryeong and Inseong, "we have to go, I'll bring you to the bus station", he grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her out of the café.

While walking her to the bus station, ignoring Haryeong's nagging of "You should really be more careful", "This is why you should get a room mate, so he can fix all the mess that you leave behind every day", while all Jaeyoon could think about was Inseong, hopefully he had not been too hurt or offended by the girl's unbelievable behavior...what if he didn't want Jaeyoon to come to the café ever again? What if he hated him FOREVER?!

Being snapped out of his thoughts by his girlfriend snapping her fingers in front of his face probably wasn't the worst thing to happen at this point, he was sure his brain would have managed to make up some horror scenarios like Inseong hiring a bodyguard to keep Jaeyoon away from him or making "Wanted"-posters to get rid of him one and for all.

"My bus arrived," Haryeong stated, pointing to the bus in front of them, as if she knew that her boyfriend hadn't even noticed that they were at the bus station already.  
One foot already on the bus, she turned around one last time,  
"We'll talk about this, Lee Jaeyoon." until she finally disappeared for good.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and started sprinting back to the café.

"Where is Inseong-hyung?", he asked Youngkyun who was currently standing behind the counter, flirting with Taeyang.  
"Oh, Jaeyoon-hyung, hi! Inseong-hyung is in the bathroom, I think. He needs to talk to his landlord because whoever they are, they have been increasing his rent and I think hyung can't pay for it anymore", he looked concerned at his own words and so did Taeyang.  
"I wish he would let us help him!", the latter exclaimed, frowning.

Jaeyoon felt his heart drop.  
Why had Inseong never told him before that he was struggling with finances?

At that moment, the brunette stepped out of the little door leading to the staff's bathroom, a frown grazing his features.  
When he saw Jaeyoon though, his face lit up, "Jaeyoonie!"

Jaeyoon felt his heart do a a little jump.  
"Hyung, I'm- I'm really sorry for Haryeong's behaviour-"

The older male just grinned and cut him off jokingly,  
"Nah, it's cool, Jaeyoonie, I'd complain about my presence as well if I had to focus on you, I'm such a distraction for all the ladies, I know.  
And, don't tell Youngbin but the furniture is kind of really ugly", he giggled quietly.

All of a sudden, his grin vanished and he had his sharp eyes trained on Jaeyoon.

"Isn't your appartment burning down at this very moment"

"That", the younger coughed a little, "that might have been a lie?"

He pretended he hadn't heard Inseongs fake gasp and decided to just go for it, they were friends after all, right?

"But on a more serious note, I heard about your uhm financial issues and-"  
Maybe Haryeong had been right, maybe he did need a room mate.

"Nono, don't worry about me!" Inseong quickly retorted, "Also, how dare you lie to your elders like this", he clicked his tongue in mock disapproval, obviously trying to change the topic again.

Jaeyoon was not going to give up this easily though,  
"I have a big appartment that I live in on my own and I'd love your company!" he all but yelled maybe sounding a bit too excited for his own good.

Finally, Inseong seemed to understand that he was serious and looked like he was thinking it over.

"What if you're a serial killer tho? What if I'm a serial killer?"

Jaeyoon unwillingly broke out into a grin at that but quickly he had his face under control again, wearing an earnest expression.

"I'd take the risk"

He had not planned on it sounding as whipped as it did but he just hoped Inseong wouldn't notice his emotions leaping out of his voice.

Apparently, that had flustered the latter because there was a slight pink flush on his cheeks and he shyly looked away, something that had never happened before in Jaeyoon's eyes.

"I'll have to see whether or not you're a serial killer, so uhm", Inseong finally looked him in the face again and cracked a tiny smile,  
"Do you want to hang out a little after my shift has ended?"

Jaeyoon would have sworn you could hear his heart going crazy in his chest and he nodded eagerly, making the older boy smile at him in a way one could almost call...fond?

"I'll meet you at 4.15 in the park? I'm kind of not into coffee shop dates", Inseong grinned.

Coffee shop dates  
Did that mean  
This was a date?  
Were they having a date?  
Jaeyoon knew he shouldn't feel this way, he still had a girlfriend for fuck's sake! 

And still he couldn't help but wish that this was what Inseong had meant by suggesting they went to the park together.

"U-uh yeah, sure, I'll see you then", his cheeks were more than a little tinted and after an awkward wave, he was storming out of the café, trying to calm down his frantically beating heart.

Luckily for him, neither Inseong nor himself heard Youngkyun's not so quiet whisper of "Jaeyoon-hyung is so whipped", after a look at Taeyang followed by  
"He reminds me of myself".

What Inseong did notice tho, was his young co-workers eagerly making out in the backroom a few minutes later.

And while he pretended to be grossed out by them, he also pretended he didn't wish it was him and a certain chestnut haired boy instead.

The hours until the end of his shift passed excruciatingly slowly and more than once Inseong found himself wondering if he should cancel their meet-up, what if he told Jaeyoon just how much he liked him on accident? 

Unrequited love sucked, he decided and kept drawing hearts with chocolate sauce on customer's drinks which got him several shy smiles and even more phone numbers that he all turned down gently, at which Youngbin, the forever-single-friend that everyone has, scoffed unbelievingly.

Finally the clock striked 4:00 and he threw his apron on the ground, apologizing insincerely to Youngbin as the younger picked it up and a little more than jogged out of the café, going into the direction of the nearest public park.

When he arrived there approximately 10 minutes before their meeting time, Jaeyoon was already standing at the entrance, waving at him.

"Just couldn't wait to see me, could you?" Inseong teasingly said, relishing in the way the younger broke out into a grin and nodded in mock submission.

"Let's go, hyung! In the middle of the park there's an ice cream parlor and the loser buys!", Jaeyoon suddenly yelled and ran off into the park.

"Unbelievable." Inseong sighed in fake desperation but started sprinting after him nevertheless.  
He was not going to buy this little shit ice cream!

Surprising the younger he had quickly caught up and now they were on the last few hundred meters and Inseong could feel Jaeyoon getting more out of breath with every step he took and was already celebrating his win when suddenly Jaeyoon stormed past him, a cocky grin on his face and reached the parlour a few moments before the brunette did.

"I won, hyung!" the younger punched his fist in the air "you owe me!"

"Okay, okay, you giant baby", Inseong caught his breath, "go choose your ice cream and get me a vanilla cone".  
He pushed a few notes in his hand and gestured towards the small building,  
"I'm gonna sit down for a second, I'm tired", he explained, ignoring Jaeyoon's delighted giggles and the way they made him feel.

After they had sat down on a bench, they found themselves staying there for hours, having long finished their ice cream, discussing about the best ice cream flavors.

While Inseong claimed Vanilla was his religion, Jaeyoon was convinced that Vanilla was "basic and boring, just like whipped cream without added sugar" which led to Inseong arguing that there was no need to add sugar to whipped cream and that Jaeyoon's favorite flavor Lemon Chocolate With Gummybears And Sugar Sprinkles was way over the top and that from now on he would stop wondering why Jaeyoon always was so hyperactive because he was probably just in a sugar shock 24/7.

So basically, they were having the time of their lives with both their stomachs hurting from laughing too much and their arms aching from hitting each other continuously.

"So, hyung, do you- do you still think I'm a serial killer?", the younger asked softly after they had calmed down a bit and were now just quietly sitting next to each other.

"Jaeyoonie", Inseong started, "I really appreciate your offer and I'm sorry I never told you about it but honestly, I don't want to burden you and so far I'm still doing fine, so don't worry too much."

Jaeyoon hesitated before answering, "Fine but...please tell me when there's any way I can help!"

Inseong's face grew warm and he smiled full of love, hugging the younger boy, startling him.

"Thank you, Jaeyoon. Thank you so much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE RETURNED  
> I'm sorry for not updating for so long but I was on vacation and this week school just started again and I began my final two years so basically everything you do will be counted into your a-level score so hahaha no pressure :))  
> But I missed writing this and I hope you guys enjoyed this second chapter and thank you so so much for reading!  
> I will work hard on updating the third chapter earlier than in two weeks and I hope to see you then!  
> This was beta-ed by my best friend but we both aren't native speakers so do tell me if there are any mistakes you notice!  
> Have a great day and lots of cookies!


	3. Chapter 3

When Jaeyoon entered the café two days later, something felt off. None of the employees behind the counter were laughing or even talking to each other...and where was Inseong?

He approached the others slowly, looking around with a frown.  
"Hey, is everything okay?", he asked.  
Taeyang slowly shook his head, "Inseong-hyung kind of...broke down and now he's been in the bathroom for about two hours and Youngbin can't get him to come out", the young boy seemed to be really upset and his boyfriend comfortingly put his arm around the other's shoulders.

Jaeyoon felt as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice cold water on his head.

"What happened? Should we maybe call his family or something?"  
The couple looked away awkwardly, "Hyung, you see, it's...-"  
"His rent was increased too much and he can't pay for it anymore from what he earns at the café and none of us know what to do or how to help." Youngkyun finally interrupted, clearing up the situation for Jaeyoon at least a bit.

The latter stormed to the bathroom, pushing Youngbin out of his way.   
"Hyung? Hyung, it's me, Jaeyoon!"  
The only response he got was a quiet sniffle from the other side of the door.  
"You have to let us help you, Inseong-hyung, okay? We can do this together!"

Following a few seconds of silence, the door was slowly opening and Inseong cautiously looked around with reddened cheeks, mussed up hair and watery eyes.

Jaeyoon could feel all his insides pulling together into a tight knot.  
It was his first time seeing the brown haired male like this and he was determined to make it the last, too.

"Hey", he said softly, approaching the older male carefully, noticing how small and fragile the other looked at that moment.  
"Let's get you out of here, okay?"

A quick nod later and they were sitting on a bench in the most quiet part of the park, Jaeyoon gently caressing Inseong's head, thinking about what to say to the other.

Finally, Inseong spoke up: "I'm sorry you had to see me this way, especially because this all just happened because I couldn't get my shit together and apply for a cheaper apartment, I'm just-" he sighed deeply, hiding his face in his hands, "I'm just not good at this 'responsible-adulting-thing'".

Jaeyoon shook his head vehemently "It's fine, hyung, really! And my offer is still up, you know? I was being serious when I said you could come live with me!"

The older boy smiled sadly, "I wish I could accept that offer but you have done so much for me already and we've only known each other for about three months. I'm not worth your kindness, Jaeyoon."

"Hyung, that's just not true! You have done so much for me! You-"

"Oh, what good things did I ever do for you? I only caused you trouble and inconveniences, just like right now!", he was interrupted by Inseong, "I literally threw whipped cream at you the first time we met!"  
"Yes but you made me smile with that, you made me happy with everything you did! And you still do! You have made my life so much more enjoyable and I won't let you bring yourself down like this!"

"I-"   
"No, hyung, let me talk. If you feel bad about being a 'freeloader' or whatever, you can even pay rent of about 100.000₩ a month if you absolutely want to do so. Just please, let me help"

Jaeyoon could feel tears forming in his eyes, desperation washing over him but when he looked at Inseong's bright, hopeful smile, it all vanished.  
Everything around him disappeared, the only sound to be heard was Inseong's quiet whisper of "Thank you.".

Suddenly, the younger boy felt overwhelmed by emotions, looking at the other boy made his head spin.

He was so beautiful.

Slightly flushed cheeks, eyes still shiny with tears and parted lips.

The chestnut haired boy leaned in and finally connected their lips.  
It felt like his heart would just jump out of his chest and when he felt the other shyly and softly return the kiss, he could've sworn that was exactly what it did.

Inseong's lips were soft, tasted like his favorite coffee and Jaeyoon was convinced they were addicting.

Suddenly, the older boy pulled away from the kiss, his eyes opened widely in shock.  
"Haryeong- You- I- I just made you cheat on your girlfriend, oh God"

Inseong started panicking. All he ever did was make things worse.  
He was a walking disaster.

When he realised who was currently storming in their direction he wished he could just disappear.  
He had just ruined the life of the boy who meant most to him.

"Haryeong! I'm so sorry, I- It's not what it looks like, okay? I didn't mean to make him cheat on you! It was all my fault, okay? I kissed him and he was too startled to pull away immediately, I-"  
he was cut off by the girl staring him down.

"Lee Jaeyoon, we'll talk about this, now."  
She stated, ice cold gaze directed at her boyfriend.  
Jaeyoon stood up from the bench, looking straight at her, his face hardened.

"You are right, we do have to talk about this. But let me just say this right away:  
It wasn't his fault. I kissed him because I wanted to. I liked it."  
He gulped and took a deep breath.  
"I like him."

Two pairs of eyes were fixed on Jaeyoon in disbelief and he could feel his confidence slowly disappearing.

When Inseong ran away with a murmur of "My shift starts in 5, I'll just...I'll just go" he felt the urge to go after the older boy but was stopped by Haryeong harshly pulling on his sweater, demanding an explanation he could not give to her.

He didn't have anything to say to her apart from "I am in love with him and I don't want to be together with you anymore" and he felt like that wouldn't be necessarily appropriate right now as she hadn't really done anything wrong.

Why did he always let his feelings take overhand?

He hid his face in his hands, sighing once again.  
How was he going to fix this?

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the girl poking his shoulder.  
When he looked at her, she had a sad smile on her face, tears brimming in her eyes.

"It's not working out between us anymore, is it?" she asked, sounding resigned.

Jaeyoon nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact.  
"I'm sorry", he began but the girl softly shook her head.  
"It's...It's okay. I know I was a handful these last weeks and he seems like you two would get along well." more quietly she added "even though I do think he's a bit cocky for his own good but maybe that's just me."

When the chestnut haired boy chuckled amusedly, she relaxed noticeably and let a smile creep on her face as well.

"It wasn't your fault, I should have told you the moment I knew I just...didn't feel for you that way anymore."  
he stated earnestly with an apologetic look on his face.

Suddenly the girl started laughing, "My friends will so laugh at me, oh God", she shook her head with a grin, "I don't even have a dramatic break-up story to tell now because you're just too nice!"

He giggled along and eventually added, "It's a shame, really."

"You should go to your future-boyfriend now, though, I think he's really-as in really really-confused", she stated, urging him to go by pushing him from the back.  
"Oh, one more thing", she said and turned him around so he was facing her, slapping him across the cheek.

"This is for cheating on me while we were still together", she explained calmly with a smile on her face before breaking into a fit of laughter and jogging away from Jaeyoon, shouting a "Go, loverboy!" in his direction.

He shook his head in disbelief but soon felt a grin spreading on his cheeks, he kind of deserved that, he decided and started running as well on the way to the café.

Inseong and he, they really had a lot to talk about now.

When he stormed into the café, he pantingly breathed out a "Youngbin, where-" only to be interrupted by the younger male's sigh.

"Inseong-hyung is in the backroom reevaluating his life choices and whatever happened, you better fix it, Lee Jaeyoon."  
He smiled reassuringly at that, though, patting the older's back.

Jaeyoon took a deep breath, walking past him, entering the staff area.

Inseong was leaning on the little counter they had back there, currently having his eyes closed, fingers running through his hair.

"Youngbin-ah, I don't wanna talk about it now, okay?", he whined, a pout on his lips.

"Uhm hyung, it's... me." the younger said carefully noticing how Inseong's eyes shot open in shock at the sound of his voice.

"I... I'm sorry for making your girlfriend think you cheated on her, I didn't mean to. I just...I kissed you and-" the latter stuttered out anxiously, searching for the other's eyes.

Jaeyoon breathed in deeply.  
"Well, actually it was I that kissed you and right now I very much do not have a girlfriend" he retorted, smiling awkwardly.

However, his clarification did not have the effect he had been expecting but it seemed to make Inseong feel even worse, if his next words were any indication for that.

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for influencing your life in such a horrible way, I know you must hate me right now, I-"

The younger placed his hands on the other's shoulders, forcing him to make eye contact.

"Hate you? As if I could ever!", he started,  
"There's so much to love about you!"

If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

"I love the way you are equally mean and caring towards everyone.  
I love how you're not afraid of being yourself.  
I love the way your eyes crinkle when you smile.  
I love how you can't cook for the love of God but could draw the most accurate and detailed portrait of a costumer on their drink with chocolate sauce.   
I love how amazing of a singer you are and how passionate you are about hip hop."

He was wearing his heart on his sleeve ves at that moment, feeling like it must be visible for anyone to see.

"I love you, Kim Inseong."

Inseong stared at him with wide eyes, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink.

"Do you want to be my boyfriend?" Jaeyoon asked, putting his heart on the line.

"Uhm, obviously not?"  
Jaeyoon choked on air as Inseong broke the magic of the moment.

"I can't stand you"  
It was only then that the younger noticed the clear sarcasm in the other's voice and he let out a sigh of relief.  
"How did you even get the idea that I'd ever feel the desire to-",

Inseong's rambling was interrupted by Jaeyoon grabbing his waist and pressing him against the wall, their lips only a few centimeters apart.  
The older's breath hitched in his throat as he slowly looked up to Jaeyoon only to see that the latter was already looking straight at him.

"A-Are you okay with this?", suddenly, shy Jaeyoon was back and so was the blush on his cheeks.  
The older boy could only smile fondly at him and gently grabbed his face.  
"I'll always be okay with this", he whispered against the slightly shorter man's lips before finally leaning in, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss.

It was different from their first kiss.  
While it was still full of insecurity and emotions, it was calmer, softer.

It felt less desperate and more like coming home.

Eventually they parted, cheeks reddened and panting, trying to catch their breath.

"So, uhm." Jaeyoon cleared his throat, "I'll take that as a 'yes, I want to be your boyfriend'?"

"Aish" Inseong flicked Jaeyoon's forehead laughing.  
Softening his voice, he sincerely added  
"Of course I want to be your boyfriend, I love you, Lee Jaeyoon."

•••

Inseong moving into Jaeyoon's apartment was not a big deal.  
He didn't have a lot of stuff and apart from all Block B albums and several self-printed posters of underground rappers he didn't really own anything that was of value to him, so after a few hours, they were done.

While he had his own room in the apartment, Jaeyoon had made it very clear that his boyfriend would not be sleeping anywhere that wasn't the former's bed, so at the end of that day, they found themselves in each other's arms, cuddling and pulling weird faces to make the other laugh.

"Go to sleep now, you nerd", Inseong murmured softly while shaking his head, "it's too late for this".  
Jaeyoon cooed at him, "Awww, is the old man tiwed?" he asked, messing up his pronounciation on purpose in order to sound cute while making puppy eyes at his boyfriend.

"Tired of your bullshit, that is", Inseong retorted, grinning.

Jaeyoon shook his head in mock disapproval, "Always so negative, hyung!" and laughed at Inseong's raised middle finger and the older crawling under the blanket in despair.

"Okay, okay" he finally agreed to the other's silent pleas for sleep "but...", he grinned mischievously, "I get a good night kiss" to which the older willingly agreed, leaving Jaeyoon's lips tingling and pulled upwards in a fond smile for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAN YOU BELIEVE I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL
> 
> I’m really sorry for not updating for over a month but school?  
> The 4th chapter should come along rather quickly because it’s not as heavy like storywise but rather a fun (by that I mean many. Many puns) and cute additional chapter!
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that waited for this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it!
> 
> Have the greatest of days and lotsa cookies!


	4. A Tiny Additional Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inseong and Jaeyoon go on a date!
> 
> -a tiny additional chapter because I crave domestic Jaeseong

“Wake up!”  
Jaeyoon sleepily blinked his eyes, stifling a yawn. Next to him, his boyfriend was excitedly bouncing around on the bed, already fully dressed and yelling at a surprisingly high volume for a Saturday morning.  
“Whatdoyouwant?”, he murmured, only half awake, running his hand through his messy hair.

Inseong cooed at the sight of him and gave him a smooch on the cheek, “We’re going on a date today!” the older boy exclaimed, pulling the warm and soft blanket out of Jaeyoon’s reach.  
The latter sighed defeatedly, a smile playing on his lips as he sneaked his arms around the other’s waist.  
“Where are we going then?”, he asked, snuggling his face into the brunette’s shirt.

“We’re going...” the older held his breath for extra effect “to the aquarium!”

After some special convincing being done in the form of many, many kisses, Jaeyoon was out of bed, had showered and was now finally sitting next to his boyfriend in the car, heading to their destination for the day.

•••

After they had paid for their tickets, they were headed straight to the tanks with the jellyfish because Inseong had proclaimed that they were squishy and pretty like Jaeyoon, making the latter blush profusely.

“I know you really like them but I don’t know...they kind of weird me out a little”, he admitted after they had been watching the jellyfish swim around for a few minutes.

The older gasped dramatically, "Are you sure you’re my boyfriend?”, suddenly a grin appeared on his face,  
“Because something seems...fISHY!”

Jaeyoon stared at him in disbelief.   
“Did you just. Pull a fish-related pun on me. In an aquarium.”

His boyfriend laughed in delight, bringing a smile to the younger boy’s lips as well and then continued pulling him to another tank with star fish excitedly, telling him about how much they reminded him of Youngbin as they were also “Spiky on the outside but actually just kind of helpless and soft“.

However, the puns never stopped and after the first hour there had been a total of 52 fish or sea related puns, including the masterpieces that were   
“Could you be a little more Pacific, please?”  
“Ice cream? Count me Pengu-IN!”  
“That’s not the fishue here”

With the highlight being  
“That’s octopussibly the weirdest thing you’ve ever said” which led to Jaeyoon letting out a frustrated scream at which the other visitors looked at him bewilderedly, continuing to walk away more quickly.

All the while Inseong was having the time of his life, pointing at fish, laughing at Jaeyoon and jumping around like the kid he was.

When the clock stroke 1pm, the two decided to go eat at a nearby restaurant.  
They sat down at a table near the window, enjoying the sun on their faces.

“You’re so beautiful”, Inseong suddenly murmured, studying Jaeyoon’s face in admiration.  
The latter blushed and smiled fondly at his boyfriend, grabbing both his hands and caressing them softly, “I love you”, they both exclaimed simultaneously, then broke into a fit of giggles at their joined confession.

•••

“This was the best day ever.” Inseong proclaimed that evening when they were lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, their hands intertwined.

Later, when the younger of them had already fallen asleep, he quietly added:  
“With you, every day is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL WELL i always say i’ll update soon but it still takes me at least three weeks because i am a hot mess HELLO
> 
> This is my last and tiny chapter for this fanfiction but I plan on writing more stuff once I’m home again, so I hope you guys enjoyed this little piece of,, fluff
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that has put up with me and my horrible, non-existing update schedule, I appreciate you very much and I hope you’re having a great day/night and some really good cOOKIES!
> 
> (P.S: SF9 COMEBACK TODAY I’M HYPED)

**Author's Note:**

> I have returned with my second Jaeseong story! I plan on making this 4 chapters long, so let's see how it will turn out!
> 
> Sadly, since school will soon start again for me, I can't promise how frequent the updates will be but so far, I have all the chapters planned out, so it shouldn't take too long?
> 
> This was beta-ed by my lovely best friend (thanks again, dude <3), however, neither of us is an English native, so if you see any mistakes I may have made, do tell me!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed my first chapter so far and thank you so much for reading, I hope you'll have a great day/night and some cookies!


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